Tear down Prentice

New center is key to Chicago's leadership in medical research

October 31, 2012|By Rahm Emanuel

Prentice Women’s Hospital was on the cutting edge when it was built nearly 40 years ago. Northwestern's plans for a new medical research facility on the site would be another bold step in that tradition. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)

The diversity of Chicago's strengths sometimes requires making difficult choices between them. The debate over Northwestern University's plans to build a new medical research center on the site of the former Prentice Women's Hospital reveals how tough those choices can be.

Here, both Chicago's role as a global hub for scientific research and its place as a world architectural capital must be considered. The promise of a new medical center that would bring 2,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to our city must be weighed against the importance of honoring Chicago's past and one of our great architects, Bertrand Goldberg.

My position is guided by the belief that we should constantly strive to build a better future. As we have throughout our history, every time Chicago rebuilds, we build a stronger, more global city.

It is clear that the current building cannot accommodate the groundbreaking research facility that Northwestern needs to build, and I support the decision to rebuild on the site. The new center will further drive an emerging scientific research hub in the area that currently sustains 4,000 permanent jobs, attracts more than $300 million in federal funds each year and keeps Chicago as a major center of scientific innovation that will be home to countless discoveries in the future.

My position comes after working with the university, the preservationist community and neighborhood groups to explore ways to maintain the building's original design while meeting Northwestern's research needs and respecting community needs. But a modern research facility requires modern design. Just as the former Prentice Women's Hospital was on the cutting edge when it was built nearly 40 years ago, this new chapter for the site will continue in that tradition.

As part of the process, I asked that Northwestern make four key considerations that were requested by the community.

First, I called on the university to provide Chicago's architectural community and community groups with a voice in the way the project proceeds and in its final design.

Second, I supported the community's request that the university preserve the neighborhood's recreational space, particularly in Lake Shore Park.

Third, I asked that the new research center be a well-lit area that enhances the safety of the community.

And finally, I sought a commitment from Northwestern that it would preserve other historic buildings in the neighborhood, including the Ward, Levy Mayer and Wieboldt buildings along Chicago Avenue.

I also had two requests to reflect the talent and values of the city at large. I asked that the university's final design team include a Chicago-based architectural firm and was adamant that Northwestern agree to abide by the city's goals of women and minority-owned business participation.

Northwestern has not only agreed to meet each of these requests, it has now committed to additional investments that will enhance the neighborhood's parks and quality of life.

I know not everyone will agree with my viewpoint on this. I appreciate the position of the preservationists and their passion. I understand that Chicago's architectural heritage is part of the city's magnetic pull and a critical piece of what makes Chicago a world-class city.

But I also know that Bertrand Goldberg's vision is alive in Chicago beyond one building. We see his legacy towering over the Chicago River in Marina City. We see it in the Raymond Hilliard Homes, which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and protected since 1997.

Chicago's architectural legacy is part of a larger story of a city that has been a trailblazer from the beginning and remains on the forefront of design and dance, medicine and manufacturing. To honor that legacy and build on it for the next generation of Chicagoans, we cannot simply preserve the past; we must promote opportunity for the future.

Northwestern's new facility will be a catalyst in creating stronger, healthier communities and in providing Chicago the investment, expertise and opportunity we need to advance as a world leader in medical treatment and research.